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Romo, Bryant carry Cowboys past Texans 20-17 in OT

By WTOP Staff

SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tony Romo took a few extra moments on the ground, right arm raised to celebrate a long touchdown pass after he escaped what looked like a sure sack for J.J. Watt.

Then, when the 34-year-old quarterback playing with a surgically repaired back made another off-balance throw under pressure in overtime, Dez Bryant’s spectacular catch saved the Dallas Cowboys from a late meltdown.

Bryant’s jump-ball grab set up Dan Bailey’s winning 49-yard field goal, and the Cowboys bounced back from blowing a 10-point lead late in fourth quarter to beat the Houston Texans 20-17 on Sunday.

“Just got to come down with it, come down with it,” said Bryant, who had game highs with nine catches and 85 yards. “That’s something I always tell Tony. If the ball is in the air, I’m going to try my best to come down with it.”

After the Texans scored twice in the last 2:27 of regulation, Bailey’s miss from 53 yards on the final play ended a franchise record streak of 30 straight made field goals.

“We had to go down and basically win the game twice,” said Romo, who threw for 324 yards with two touchdowns with an interception that took away a scoring chance in the fourth quarter. “You just put your work hat on and go out and execute.”

The Cowboys (4-1) won their fourth straight for the first time since 2011 heading into a trip to Super Bowl champion Seattle, their only road game in a stretch of six games.

The Texans (3-2) rallied behind Arian Foster, who had 157 yards rushing and a tying 1-yard score with 41 seconds left in regulation.

“Football is a brutal game,” Watt said. “It’s brutal on your body. It’s brutal on your emotions. To fight back the way we did, to show that resilience, it was good to see. But at the end of the day, we lost the game.”

NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray had 136 yards for Dallas, his fifth straight 100-yard game to start the season.

After the Cowboys stopped the Texans on the first possession of overtime, they were facing third-and-8. Romo unloaded off his back foot to avoid a sack. Bryant reached over Johnathan Joseph on a 37-yard gain to the Houston 31. Bailey’s kick came three plays later.

“Dez, I’ve seen him make it a million times,” said Jason Witten, who became the third tight end in NFL history with 10,000 career yards receiving. “I don’t know that there’s two better people at clutch moments than Tony and him.”

The Texans pulled even by converting a fourth down on a drive to Randy Bullock’s 29-yard field, then got the ball back in just 32 seconds. They went 45 yards in four plays to Foster’s second touchdown with 41 seconds left.

Houston had just 86 yards total offense at halftime, but Foster had 117 rushing himself in the second half. He went 48 yards on consecutive plays, the latter from 15 to put Houston ahead 7-3 in the third quarter.

Romo answered four plays later on probably the best test so far of his back after surgery last December to repair a herniated disk.

He spun to his right as Watt closed in, then threw about as far as he could with more pressure coming. Terrance Williams had an easy 43-yard catch in the end zone when Houston’s Kendrick Lewis fell at the goal line just before the ball arrived.

“Certainly it’s one for the ages with Romo,” coach Jason Garrett said. “There’s a handful of those he’s had throughout his career, and I think you can add that one to the list.”

Witten helped set up Williams’ score with a 34-yard catch to join Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe as the only tight ends with 10,000 career yards receiving. He finished with 59 yards to put him at 10,014.

Murray, who had his fourth fumble in five games in the first quarter, was denied a chance to join Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson as the only running backs with at least 100 yards and one touchdown in the first five games of the season.

It looked like he would get the TD, but Romo instead threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Bryant for a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter.

NOTES: Texans WR Andre Johnson became the second-faster receiver to 950 catches by finishing with five for 954 after 159 games. He’ll have to wait at least another week to be the second fastest to 13,000 yards, finishing with 58 to fall 19 yards short. He has two more games to beat Marvin Harrison’s mark of 162 games. Jerry Rice did it in 154. … Murray set a Dallas’ franchise record with his fifth straight 100-yard game to start the season. Emmitt Smith had four in 1995.

___

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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